Financial forensic accountants are equipped with key accounting and specialised skills such as financial information analysis, investigation, evidence examination and reporting in relation to relevant laws and regulations. They are engaged by both public and private sectors, including law enforcement agencies, regulatory authorities, financial institutions and advisory firms that offer financial forensic services.

If you are an accountant planning to go into a career in financial forensics, the Qualification will equip you with the knowledge and skill sets you need to go into the field. For existing financial forensic professionals, you will deepen your knowledge and skill sets, and receive professional recognition for having the requisite competencies to work in financial forensics upon conferment of the Financial Forensic Professional (FFP) credential. Please click here to find out more about the benefits of taking the Qualification.

There are no exemptions for the ISCA FFA Qualification. If you wish to attain the ISCA Financial Forensic Professional (FFP) credential, you will need to complete all four modules within 24 months and meet the Qualification’s prevailing entry requirements.

If you have a degree in accountancy related discipline or equivalent, you will meet the entry requirements to commence the programme. However, if your degree is in other disciplines, you will require 1 year of full-time recent work experience in financial forensics before you could enrol in the programme.

The ISCA FFA Qualification is a part-time programme with 2 or 3 consecutive days of compulsory workshops for Modules 1, 2 and 3. The workshops are classroom-based and provide face-to-face interaction opportunities with the trainers.

There are no maximum number of attempts. However, candidates will only be allowed to re-sit the exam maximum twice in the next two available exam sessions without re-attending workshop. In such a case, the re-sit exam fee is S$856 (inclusive of GST).

We use the list of recognised accountancy degrees for ISCA Associate membership as a guide for processing ISCA FFA Qualification applications. For degrees that fall outside this list, we will assess them using internationally recognised reference sources, to determine whether they are comparable to a three-year undergraduate degree.

We will only accept applications submitted with the academic and other required documents to perform a detailed assessment to determine whether the applications meet the ISCA FFA Qualification entry requirements. Hence, we are unable to assess and provide advice on the recognition of qualifications over email or phone.

You may only apply upon completion of your degree qualification, provided that your degree qualification also meets our entry requirements. The entry requirements state that applicants are required to have at least a recognised bachelor’s degree or equivalent in an Accountancy related discipline or other degrees with one year full-time and recent relevant work experience in financial forensic-related fields.

Yes, candidates who have registered for the exam session of Module 1, 2 and 3 must attend the compulsory workshops that will be held at least one month prior to the exam. Attendance will be taken at the start of the morning and afternoon (after lunch) sessions of the workshops.

Yes, you can include the time spent on taking the ISCA FFA Qualification as part of your CPE hours. The duration spent in workshops and examinations for all modules can be considered as verifiable hours. As Module 4 consists of self-study only, the duration of the examination will be counted as verifiable hours, while the time spent doing self-study may be counted as non-verifiable hours. Please click here for more information on verifiable and non-verifiable CPE hours.

For FCA (Singapore) or CA (Singapore) who is a public accountant, please note that the category of the CPE hours clocked under Module 1, 2 and 3 will be classified under “Others”, while that under Module 4 will be under “Ethics and Professionalism” (Category 2).

All Singaporeans aged 25 and above will receive an opening credit of S$500 from the government. The credits will not expire and periodic top-ups will be provided by the government. SFC may be accumulated to pay for skills related course fees. For more information on the SFC scheme, please visit http://www.skillsfuture.sg/credit

If you wish to use your SFC to pay for part of the total exam registration fee, please login to the SFC portal to submit the SFC Claim after you have received the receipt from us. The submission of claim to SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG) and SSG’s approval MUST be done within 60 days and before the first day of the workshop. SSG will NOTbe able to approve your claim submission if it is submitted to them during and after the first day of the workshop. Please click here for the user guide on SFC portal.

Failure to submit the claim via SFC portal and obtain necessary approval from SSG before the first day of the workshop will result in topping up of the SFC indicated for use and an administrative fee payable to ISCA of $42.80 (inclusive of GST) will be incurred by you so as to revise the invoice based on the amount of SFC you have indicated to use previously.

Under UTAP, NTUC members enjoy 50% *unfunded course fee support, capped at $250 each year, for courses supported by UTAP. For more information on the UTAP, please click here.

Who can applyAll NTUC members can apply for UTAP. However, the following criteria must be met to be eligible for UTAP:

1. Paid-up union membership before course commencement, throughout whole course duration and at the point of claim2. Course by training provider must be supported under UTAP, and training must commence within the supported period3. Course must not be funded through company sponsorship or other types of funding4. *Unfunded course fee must be S$20.00 and above5. Member must achieve a minimum of 75% attendance for each application and sat for all prescribed examination(s), if any6. UTAP application must be submitted within 6 months after course completion

Should you have queries on UTAP, you can email to UTAP@e2i.com.sg or call NTUC Membership Hotline at 6213 8008.

3. SkillsFuture Study Awards

Please visit the SkillsFuture Study Awards for Accountancy Sector website here for more details. You may apply for this award during your course of study but before the completion of the ISCA FFA Qualification.

5. Financial Training Scheme (FTS) [Please note that only the Financial Crime module is recognised under this scheme]

This programme is recognised under the Financial Training Scheme (FTS) and is eligible for FTS claims subject to all eligibility criteria being met.

Please note that in no way does this represent an endorsement of the quality of the training provider and programme. Participants are advised to assess the suitability of the programme and its relevance to participants’ business activities or job roles.

The FTS is available to eligible entities based on the prevalent funding eligibility, quantum and caps. FTS claims may only be made for recognised programmes with specified validity period. Please refer to www.ibf.org.sg for more information.

Yes, you can. As long as the course is found on both SkillsFuture Credit and UTAP course listing, you may claim both atthe same time. Provided you have not offset your course fees in full using your SkillsFuture Credit, you may claimthe remaining portion from UTAP. Kindly note that there is a timeline for claim submission under SkillsFuture Credit and UTAP can only be claimed after course ends.

Candidates are only required to pay for the modules they have registered for the examination session. They will receive an email notification on the commencement of examination registration for the upcoming examination session.

Candidates are to register via an online examination registration form and pay an examination registration fee via credit card within the stipulated window period. Upon successful receipt of examination registration fee, candidates will receive an invoice/receipt via email.

The ISCA FFA Qualification workshops and examinations schedule is available here. Please note that the registration period for each examination session commences approximately two (2) months prior to the examination session.

ISCA members are highly regarded as holding the highest standards in ethical and professional conduct. As a member of ISCA, you are subject to membership requirements such as compliance with ethics and Continuing Professional Education (CPE) requirements in order to stay updated and professionally qualified. ISCA members holding the ISCA FFP credential will be committed to develop and maintain the professional competence necessary, in the public interest, to perform their role within the financial forensics field.

If you meet the prevailing ISCA membership admission requirements, you are welcomed to join ISCA as a member before completing the ISCA FFA Qualification. Please click here for more information. Otherwise, you may join after completing the Qualification and meeting the conditions to be conferred the ISCA FFP credential.

If you are not already an existing ISCA member, you must apply for ISCA membership after completing all four modules of the ISCA FFA Qualification and acquiring at least three years of recent and relevant years of work experience in financial forensic related fields to be conferred the ISCA FFP credential. All ISCA membership applications are subject to the prevailing membership admission requirements.

The Institute of Singapore Chartered Accountants (ISCA) is the national accountancy body of Singapore. ISCA’s vision is to be a globally recognised professional accountancy body, bringing value to our members, the profession and wider community.